Blind to strategic riches

The almost zombie-like way in which Australian investors manage to totally ignore agricultural investment in this country never ceases to amaze me.

Despite practically every sovereign fund in the world, and some of the smartest money on the planet, making a bee line for Australian agriculture, we locals steadfastly ignore the fabulous strategic assets sitting right under our nose.

Everyone worries about the weather, the currency and commodity prices. Hello? What about iron ore and coal? And as for the weather, it can shut down a resource project, too.

One by one, they will all be taken over by foreign investors with a much better long-term view for value, and whilst the jobs and capital expenditure from these operations will not go away, it does seem an awful shame that a nation that prides itself on having one of the world’s best savings plans – superannuation – will see all of this value accrue to others.